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Green field sites

As experts of Data Centre CDM, Black Box are able to advise you on the benefits of all the major technologies employed from infrastructure design, cabinet construction, through to advanced power profiling and remote server access.

Cooling systems are a critical aspect to consider in the early stages of Data Centre design. Utilising free air cooling within hot aisle and cold aisle containment systems provides a low TCO whilst minimising OPEX costs.

Secondary Heat (sometimes called Low Grade Heat) from the Data Centre can be used to heat offices within the building rather than just being disposed of through external exchangers, turning latent heat into sensible heat.

The DKM is our flagship matrix switch, providing instantaneous high-definition switching for applications where video quality is paramount. Utilising catx up to 140 metres and fibre cabling up to 10 km, the DKM provides the solution for even the largest of data centres. With chassis available from 8 ports through to 288, and the ability to cascade chassis, the DKM presents the most flexible high end matrix switching solution.

For large scale server management, the CX provides the perfect solution by supporting up to 864 individual VGA, or DisplayPort servers. It provides access from the server room, the control room and supports IP access for remote control. It is scaleable from 8 servers upwards, and utilises catx cabling to achieve distances of up to 300 metres, making it ideal for data centre access for both data centre managers and their customers.

Black Box bulk cable provides the backbone for your network. From Cat5e through to Cat7 cabling solutions, we test out our cable beyond the specification required, so we can guarantee to produce cable that features huge amounts of headroom. Our matching patch panels, connectors, wall and floor jacks provide the complete solution along with a complete range of tools and testers to validate or certify your infrastructure end to end.

With a weight capacity of 7500Kg, the uniquely construction of the Server Cabinet provides the access and flexibility required by data centres. The cabinet can be quickly stripped down for 360' access, but also featuring the ability to slide the side panels in from the front or rear. This makes the cabinet ideal for baying. Available in 24U, 38U, 42U and 45U heights, the cabinet features a number of door options for exemplary air flow.

Designed to improve capacity planning and power profiling, our Intelligent PDU's can be accessed via IP or serial, and provide extensive features to really monitor and control power throughout the entire data centre real estate. Information on voltage, current drawn etc is provided in real time via the web interface. Access to the PDU can be integrated into existing LDAP/S, RADIUS, and Active Directory environments, and they support 256-bit AES encryption, and strong passwords for security.

Containment systems can be provided following a site survey. Black Box will visit your site, discuss your needs and understand your goals. From here we will design a data centre solution that fits your requirements exactly. From power provision, through to cabinet furniture installation, from infrastructure, to high end remote access solutions, we have the ability to provide you with the solution your data centre deserves. Contact us today for further information.

When designing a green field data centre, another major consideration is providing adequate power to the cabinets. With the advent of blade servers which can draw around eight times as much power as a single server, customer’s power requirements have grown exponentially. With the further use of virtualised servers which due to their increased processor load also draw more current, the requirement to provide enough power can become a challenge. Bigger MPDU are required to provide power to more cabinet PDU’s, and further still is the requirement to provide customers with redundant power to each cabinet. All this adds complexity to the power requirements.

All power in the data centre is typically provided via a UPS, so that in the event of a short power cut, there is enough time and warning for customers to shut down their servers in a an organised and controlled manner.

If the data centre wishes to carry Tier approvals then the data centre UPS may need to be backed up with the use of a DRUPS or other diesel style generator. Sensible CDM dictates that Free Cooling systems should be utilised wherever possible to provide zero cost cooling for much of the year, with the use of chillers limited to summer periods when outside ambient temperatures increase above the norm.